Farmers Feed Cities

...But farmland's value is much more than just crop production

Farmers Feed Cities is a campaign to lobby the Government of Ontario and further the interests of farmers. Photo Credit: Farmers Feed Cities

Yet, there are County Road 42 proponents who don't seem to comprehend the vital importance of preserving farmland for future generations:

We've seen comments on social media that suggest some people don't understand the long-term consequences of building on productive farmland. Among the posts:

"Most of the city was and is build [sic] on farm land. Why is it bad now?"

"Now you're worried about good fertile farm ground? If you live in Windsor all of the land used to be farmland before they built buildings and houses on it. And it was all bush previous to that. Give me a break!"

"If they were worried about farmland they wouldn't have made so many subdivisions in all of other farmland in windsor essex county"

What many people don't realize: Farmland is a non-renewable resource

"The Windsor-Essex County’s agri-business sector is dynamic and has been identified as one of the region’s nine most promising sectors for business and employment growth."                                                                      -- Workforce Windsor-Essex

According to the Ontario Farmland Trust: 5% of Ontario's land can support farming 18% of Ontario's farmland has been lost in the past 40 years Farmland is not only for growing crops to feed people. It protects against downstream flooding (a serious risk in Windsor-Essex) and urban heat islands. It increases air quality. Productive farmland is ecologically beneficial to wildlife, including pollinators such as insects and birds. A quote from the video below: "We're not just builidng on farmland, we're building on the best farmland we have in this province right now":

Learn more at https://ontariofarmlandtrust.ca/

According to Windsor's Environmental Master Plan: "Goal C – Responsible Land Use: To enhance our community through naturalization, reforestation, park and urban planning, densification and community initiatives."

More new brownfield redevelopment plans just announced in Windsor!   Incredibly, in a period of just six (6) days!  three very encouraging mixed-use (residential & commercial) brownfield redevelopment proposals were announced. We wrote about one of them (HDGH/Amico) in last week's eblast. The second project, by London developer Shmuel Farhi, was revealed on September 24, 2019. Combined, these first two proposals will create nearly 1,200 new housing units in already developed and serviced neighbourhoods -- that's almost 20% of Windsor's anticipated 20-year housing need (as identified by the city's Planning Department in the Secondary Plan approved by City Council in August 2018). We love this kind of incremental urban development! In his September 24, 2019 announcement, Mr. Farhi also revealed a third, much less defined redevelopment plan for a future 24 to 30-storey residential tower at the corner of Janette Avenue and Riverside Drive in downtown Windsor. This alone could provide hundreds more housing units. His plan included two other centrally-located residential buildings, all projected to be built within the next ten years. The Big Picture: Tracking residential supply and demand In August 2018, Windsor's Planning Department modestly projected the existing supply of designated residential land could accommodate just 3,255 (47% - not even half!) of the 6,900 new homes needed in Windsor through 2036. This was a critical justification for rezoning Sandwich South, the 990 acre (400 ha.) future development adjacent to Windsor Airport (and the proposed location for Windsor's single-site acute care hospital):

However, if one adds just two of the recently announced projects (the former Grace Hospital and GM Trim Plant sites - yellow dots on the map below) to those already earmarked by the City for new residential development, a total of 4,956 new housing units will soon be built within Windsor's existing footprint. This far exceeds what city planners thought possible just over a year ago and eliminates the purported need to develop Sandwich South anytime soon!

Amazingly, these 4,956 units represent 72% of Windsor's total anticipated 20-year new housing needs, according to the City Planning Department's August 2018 projections.  This puts into serious doubt the claim that productive farmland in Sandwich South must be developed now to meet Windsor's next two decades of demand for new residential housing. (It also makes us wonder if the local residential construction industry will soon be out of work? Though there will likely be plenty of renovation potential for the city's older housing stock.)   A monumental logistical headache: Access to hospital-based services If the County Road 42 single-site acute care hospital goes forward as proposed, the 2,000+ future residents of these major, new centrally-located housing developments will be 8-18 km from hospital-based services. This is significantly farther than these locations are to Windsor's two current acute care hospital campuses. This doesn't make any sense. More incremental development is what Windsor really needs It's far more responsible to continue to build housing where municipal infrastructure already exists. It's wasteful to burden residents with higher property taxes to underwrite the costs of essential amenities in speculative locations. For example: As evidenced by these recent announcements, medium and high-density housing can be built in the many open spaces located in central neighbourhoods Secondary suites (converted basements and garages) are a viable option to create new affordable rental housing. Or they may be used as "mother-in-law suites" by aging parents wishing to live independently, yet near their children and grandchildren Farmland is a finite and non-renewable natural resource To preserve our farmland, we must locate our healthcare, homes and businesses in areas that have already been developed. To do otherwise is not only an irresponsible waste of taxpayer dollars, it robs future generations of their precious natural resources.

Windsor's Grace Hospital site: A 15-year long fiasco

Another brave new plan unveiled this week An ambitious new plan by Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) to create a mixed-use 650-unit housing and commercial development on the former Grace Hospital site was revealed by The Windsor Star on September 18, 2019. This is the newest in a years-long revolving door of proposals for the site on Windsor's University Avenue West.

“Neighbourhoods surrounding the former Grace hospital site, just west of downtown, have declined since the hospital disappeared 15 years ago, removing the epicentre of what was once a thriving community.” -- The Windsor Star, September 18, 2019

When in May 2019, the City of Windsor officially announced the Grace site was no longer earmarked for a Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) Urgent Care Centre (UCC), it called for alternate proposals. The HDGH project is one of six proposals the city received from May 6 - August 16, 2019. The other bidders have not yet been made public. Since the 250-bed Grace Hospital was shuttered for good in February 2004, the 6.5 acre site in Windsor's west end has been an ongoing symbol of what can go wrong if vision, transparency and due diligence are absent from the planning process. The Grace site has seen a series of well-publicized grand plans turn to dust. For almost a decade, the imposing structure stood boarded-up and decaying, while various developers came forward with new plans. Over time, area residents became the helpless victims of this growing eyesore, resulting in a loss of urban resilience and livability in the community.

The Grace site: A tangled history of proposed redevelopment 2004: Grace Hospital closed and a buyer found The 6.5-acre Grace hospital site, at the corner of Crawford Avenue and University Avenue West, closed in 2004. Its four buildings, with sections built as far back as 1918 and as recent as 1985, totalling about 290,000 square feet, were purchased by developer Lou Vozza for $800,000 later that same year. Under the project's original plans, it was expected to cost between $15 and $20 million for demolition, construction and interior fit-up costs. 2007: Grace Village Long-term care facility and mixed-use development In September 2007, Vozza, under the name L.V. Concorde Contracting, was awarded a contract by the Ministry of Health to build a 160-bed facility on the former hospital site. A Public-Private Partnership (P3) plan was developed to convert the former hospital.  Plans included five double duplexes to be built on the southern edge of the property, but that part of the project was put on hold due to unfavourable financial market conditions. In February 2009, Extendicare Canada Inc. backed out of building a 128-bed nursing home in LaSalle. The ministry awarded 96 additional beds to Vozza. 2011: Long-term care project terminated The community waited for the work to begin while the building rotted in plain sight. The province terminated the project in June 2011. Lawsuits and accusations followed. All the while, area residents were forced to live with the increasingly delapidated and vandalized site.

Photocredit: WindsoriteDOTca

2012: Out of town buyer found In August 2012, the Windsor Star reported that an out-of-town buyer had been found. Tony Battaglia, President of Westpark Developments, the holder of the largest mortgage on the property stated, “All I can say is the buyer has plans to redevelop the site. Verbal indications were they plan to start immediately.” The deal did not materialize.

2013: Greek Orthodox church and community centre In February 2013, then-mayor Eddie Francis promoted a proposal to build a multimillion-dollar Greek Orthodox church and community centre on the site. The local Greek community rejected the proposal.

Concept drawing of Greek Orthodox church and community centre.

2013: Demolition In April 2013, the building was finally demolished and replaced with a field of grass.

2015-2019: WRH UCC In July 2015, WRH announced (along with the new County Road 42 single site acute care hospital), the Grace site as the future home of a UCC. For those of you who follow this e-blast, you may wonder (as we do) why a billboard promoting this --- long after the project was officially axed --  still stands on the University Avenue property.

Photo of the billboard on the former Grace Hospital site, taken 3.00 p.m., September 19th, 2019. The sign, erected in July 2015, states: "Future home of the proposed urgent care centre/main satellite facility."

2019: HDGH affordable housing and senior residences HDGH (in conjunction with Amico Infrastructure) has tendered a proposal to the City of Windsor to build 650 condo and townhouse units geared to support seniors and those with long-term or chronic health needs. The plan also includes commercial and medical offices on the site. To date, publicly announced details are vague.

“[Janice Kaffer, HDGH CEO] said the response to the project, some two years in the planning, has been overwhelmingly positive.”        -- The Windsor Star, September 18, 2019

“This type of investment will help the whole neighbourhood to rise up. You will see businesses want to move there. It will be a huge draw. The best thing is this is a made-in-Windsor solution where we don’t have to look to Toronto or government for help. The solution is right here.” -- Brian Payne, HDGH Board Chair, The Windsor Star, September 18, 2019

Will the HDGH proposal be the one to FINALLY get built? The HDGH plan is terrific news, especially for Windsor West residents. Affordable housing is in short supply. Quality affordable housing is even more difficult to find. This is a forward-thinking idea. It's very welcome to those concerned about the lack of momementum elected (and unelected officials) have shown towards Windsor's revitalization. The former Grace site, one block from the riverfront and on existing public transit routes, will be an attractive place to live. There are many senior residences on or near Windsor's waterfront today - among the most desirable real estate in the entire city:

Map showing where the most seniors live in Windsor-Essex. 32% of Windsor's seniors live in the 12 areas depicted by red dots. These areas have the highest "senior population density" in all of Essex County.

Yet, if the HDGH plan goes forward, residents in this new development will be 14 - 18 km (depending on the route taken) from the County Road 42 single site acute care hospital location.  Without an acute care hospital nearby, why would the location of this laudable project be attractive to vulnerable populations -- seniors, persons living with disabilities, chronic health issues and those on low or fixed incomes? This makes no sense at all!

Was the HDGH plan conceived in isolation from the Country Road 42 "mega" hospital plan? In a follow-up story in the Windsor Star, HDGH CEO Janice Kaffer stated it had been in the planning stage for two years. Does this mean the Grace site has been out of the WRH picture much longer than publicly known? Is the Grace site Windsor's canary in the coal mine? The unsuccessful and convoluted history of the 6.5-acre Grace site is a warning about a potential future fiasco on a much greater scale to come. With the exception of a parking garage, both the 14.4-acre WRH Met and the 9.8-acre WRH Ouellette campuses (a total of 24.2 acres in established neighbourhoods) are slated for demolition, under the "mega" plan announced in July 2015.

"In order to avoid 'another Grace hospital experience,' as Windsor Regional CEO David Musyj termed it, the [Met] site will be fully demolished before being turned over to the City of Windsor as part of a land swap for the old Grace Hospital site when that site becomes an urgent care centre."   -- WindsoriteDOTca, July 16, 2015

Under the land swap deal with the City of Windsor in the 2015 plan, the Met Campus site was to be developed for residential housing. Now that deal seems to be off the table. Reported details around future downtown outpatient services also keep changing. The Ministry of Health has been questioning the wisdom of demolishing recently constructed parts of the Ouellette Campus (less than two decades old), suggesting their lifespan can still be extended. Measure twice, cut once Those calling for shovels to hit the ground on the County Road 42 single site hospital location don't seem to grasp the scale and long term implications of the risks that lie ahead. If we want a future healthcare system that works, we need to get all the details right during each stage of this very long and complex planning process. Otherwise, we are very likely to end up with another massive, costly debacle. Let the failures of the Grace site be our lesson.

The countdown to our LPAT hearing is on It will take place from October 8 to 10, 2019 We have 3 weeks to raise the last $25,000 Please come to Our Farm Organics' family friendly farm fundraiser on Saturday, September 28th. All are welcome; please invite your friends! For more information, see the event poster below. Thank you to each and every one of you who contributed so generously to our legal fund since we launched this campaign in February 2019. Some of you have made multiple donations. One of our donors even shared a modest lottery win with us! Many of you donated anonymously because you didn't want your employer to know. Please help us reach our fundraising goal by donating what you can afford --- No amount is too large or too small. If you can only afford $10, that's fine as well. If you wish to donate anonymously, GoFundMe will allow you to do so. Some people prefer to donate directly. If you would like to do so too, please email us for details.

Where: Our Farm Organics, 284 County Rd 34, Ruthven (just outside Cottam) When: Saturday, September 28, 2019 4.00-9.00 p.m.

Click here to contribute to or share our GoFundMe

In their own words: Weekly round-up of comments from our friends and neighbours

"It’s great that the Province understands WINDSOR and ESSEX county need a new hospital. With that part decided ket’s [sic] be certain the location is correct. The complex must be situated where there is good infrastructure of public transit, where a majority of people can access it easily, quickly, and inexpensively. The majority of people (whether patients or visitors) should not need a car, nor should they depend on others to give them access. I am supporting CAMPP because I believe in the benefits of density, not sprawl. I am convinced by models urban and economic and social development, and research and examples in other cities and towns around the world, that an urban location is the best location for Windsor’s hospital. The Provincial government has acknowledged its support: now it is time to get the details right. Thank you CAMPP for fighting the good fight, the right fight, representing the common good (and good, common sense) for Windsor and Essex county."

"so since they're committed to giving us the money our community should be committed to getting it done the right way. It is the single most important issue in our community and what we "settle for" we will be left with for decades....so let's get it right. An accountable Planning Process is a must!"

"So obvious that a new hospital, with a responsible location, plus the existing ones, is the answer. We already lost Grace hosp. They can keep up the drama, but people have their number. To destroy an asset, a hospital, is not prudent, it is waste of taxpayer funds."

"I strongly support efforts to shift the hospital to a city location - but please propose an alternative viable location! That would focus minds with an either/or choice and would also address travel time and parking concerns of county and suburban residents."

"The majority of people live within 5km from the river. Draw a rectangle box from Belle River to Lasalle and guess what the hospital should be located at the old GM plant."

"It really boils down to investing in place based resources, working with the data of where the majority of the population reside and the transportation and resources to support the majority while being inclusive of vulnerable sector residents that are increasingly unable to drive (seniors, low income and persons with disabilities)."

"What about the people who can't drive. Who's going to get them home. Obviously no 1 cares for them especially if it's not in the city"

"Many of us in the core rely on public transportation because we are living well below the poverty line. Anyone who really understands the operating limits of public transportation, and the wait times and the ride times would be absolutely irresponsible to push for this plan, that will strip many of the most vulnerable citizens of access to the hospital. Not to mention, we have a rapidly aging demographic who will also need to rely on public transportation or rides from family members- if they can afford cars- for hospital access."

"You don't fix the accessibility issues for the county folk by removing the accessibility for the most densely populated vulnerable members residing in the core. In fact, merely reducing the time the county folk need to drive- because they'll STILL need cars- is not even remotely comparable to the HOURS that the vulnerable people in the core who never had access to cars will now have to spend taking buses (when they're actually running. The rest of the time, those impoverished people in the core will have to choose between an 80 dollar round trip cab fare or a few weeks of groceries."

It's a done deal: Ontario IS committed to healthcare investment in Windsor-Essex

“My very real concern is that this will go off the rails and we won’t be getting a new hospital...At what point are you willing to forsake a brand new hospital over issues like location and a process that was not ours?” -- Windsor Councillor Fred Francis, Windsor Star, May 25, 2019 Yet, this week the Ontario Government reaffirmed its support for a new hospital Windsor-Essex is getting the money Infrastructure Ontario, the Crown agency responsible for delivering capital projects across Ontario, released its Fall 2019 Market Update on September 10, 2019. It's an update that lists all major public infrastructure projects, including public hospitals. A new acute care hospital for Windsor-Essex is one of 32 projects on this list. In response to the news, David Musyj, CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital said: "It reaffirms the Government of Ontario’s commitment to our proposed new facility and we are excited to get moving on this vital and ambitious development for our region." Indeed. This must be very welcome news for those who worried about publicly expressing their misgivings about the location of the new hospital. The fear of jeopardizing the government's commitment to funding a new local hospital facility has long been used as a threat against Windsor-Essex residents who've questioned the proposed location. That's not a constructive way to engage the community most affected by this monumental local healthcare infrastructure decision. Which part of the deal is done, the financing or the location? “The CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital, David Musyj, said there are no doubts that Windsor's new acute care facility will be located on County Road 42.” -- CBC, December 5, 2017 The real "done deal" is the government's commitment to financing new healthcare infrastructure in Windsor-Essex. Since 2014, local decision makers have been bullying, coercing, confusing and scaring residents with messaging designed to suppress any questions or concerns regarding critical flaws in the hospital site selection process: ACUTE issues affecting accessibility, cost, urban planning, transparency and the environment. The selected site for the hospital (revealed in July 2015) has never truly been a "done deal." The development of Sandwich South - - the area where the proposed County Road 42 hospital is to be located - - was ONLY approved by Windsor City Council in August 2018. And that decision is currently the subject of an LPAT appeal. But provincial investment in Windsor-Essex healthcare is solid. Stop the fearmongering about losing this investment. Stop villifying vocal, deeply concerned residents. This project will affect the community for generations to come: "While opposition is understandable, deliberate attempts to delay or derail this kind of investment in local health care is irresponsible and threatens the project." -- Drew Dilkens, mayor, City of Windsor, Gary McNamara, warden, County of Essex, Dave Cooke, co-chair, programs and services steering committee David Musyj, president and CEO, Windsor Regional Hospital, Janice Kaffer, president and CEO, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, Janice Dawson, CEO, Erie Shores Healthcare, Windsor Star, May 4, 2019 "If the project dies, said Musyj, its foes will find a way to blame [David Musyj] or the hospital 'then they’ll run for cover and you’ll never hear from them again.'" -- Windsor Star, May 25, 2019 We must start planning a new healthcare system that includes a Windsor-based hospital campus in an established neighbourhood where the municipal infrastructure already exists. The countdown to our LPAT hearing is on It will take place from October 8 to 10, 2019 We have 4 weeks to raise $27,500 We need your financial support to pay for it.  We need $27,500 more to reach our $100,000 fundraising goal. 1.  Double your money! This week an anonymous donor stepped forward to offer to match all donations towards our appeal, up to $1,000! Please take him up on his generous offer!  Amplify your impact and share broadly. If you haven’t contributed yet, there is no better time to start. 2.  Please come to our Variety Show fundraiser on Friday, September 20th at the Green Bean Cafe, from 6-9 p.m. at 2320 Wyandotte Street West. All are welcome; please invite your friends! For more information, see the event poster below. Thank you to each and every one of you who contributed so generously to our legal fund since we launched this campaign in February 2019. Some of you have made multiple donations. One of our donors even shared a modest lottery win with us! Many of you donated anonymously because you didn't want your employer to know. Please help us reach our fundraising goal by donating what you can afford --- No amount is too large or too small. If you can only afford $10, that's fine as well. If you wish to donate anonymously, GoFundMe will allow you to do so. Some people prefer to donate directly. If you would like to do so too, please email our fundraising team for details. Click here to contribute to or share our GoFundMe In their own words: Weekly round-up of comments from our friends and neighbours "I am a R.N. working for over 32 years at the Ouellette campus on the front lines and have wholeheartedly agreed with CAMPP since its inception. Thank you so much for all you have done!" "Most important civic decision of my lifetime" "More than ever we need accountable decision makers using forward thinking. Our very existence at the planetary level is at stake, so every local decision now matters greatly for the present and future. The hospital location, land use decisions, and transportation plans are key issues for broader community health." "Airports should serve passengers, not patients. No hospital on County Rd. 42!" "My family has required hospital care at both MET Main and MET Ouellette this year and emerg care at Ouellette very recently. During our most recent health crisis, I observed hundreds of people (young families, old couples, and individuals) receive necessary emerg care arriving by family transport, public transit, and on foot. During one emerg visit I counted a dozen ambulance drops. I live within walking distance of MET Ouellette [sic]. On an average day I hear sirens at least a half-dozen times. Stripping our services in the core to build Mega at 42 will literally rape [sic] countless core residents of critical life-saving care. All Windsor residents deserve adequate health care. Build the hospital where the people live. This isn't a county vs city debate. This isn't a debate about the perceived quality-of-life in the core. This is about building health care where *MOST* people can readily and easily access health care." "This is a bad plan, in more ways than just the location. Name one city who survives its downtown core dying. Name one reason to support paving over valuable green farmland in the face of record flooding and unprecedented climate change. Name one reason why its ok to demolish two hospitals, in favour of no added beds or new services. Name one reason why spreading a city, that is only aging and not growing in population, out so thin that we just leave our already empty concrete spaces unused and in despair. Name one reason why we have to line the pockets of some developers and concrete mongers just so some unelected officials can get their way. We ALL want healthcare to improve in our community. But the plan HAS TO BE GOOD!!!! It has to be sustainable and responsible and transparent. Take yourself out of the argument about the new proposed location, and look at everything else. Our city has made so many mistakes already. We put a pool downtown and a sports/entertainment venue way out in the suburbs? We have gutted the heart of our own city already by abandoning the downtown core. We CANNOT afford to make another mega mistake." "Just name one actual advantage of that location, over choice number 2 near Lauzon Parkway and Tecumseh Rd., that is important enough to justify the chosen sites extra millions in infrastructure costs to be borne by Windsor taxpayers alone. Not only will it cost Windsorites more to service the site; its also far more difficult to access." "How is taking two hospitals from the most densely populated and arguably median income areas and providing preferential care to the rural and wealthiest areas with the lowest population density even remotely fair?" "How silly to build in a field when there are many other suitable locations that already have most, if not all, the infrastructure already in place." "I wonder how the elderly on a fixed income will get there! They’ll be just as unable to visit their family members. I live in the city core and would have no way out to the hospital neither would my husband who wouldn’t be able to be with me or I with him if either of us were hospitalized." "Nobody wants them to lose funding. We just want transparency and planning that adheres to policies that were put in position for the best interest of the communities." "Parking at this site (County Road 42 ) will be designed to maximize profits ..You'll either have to park at their designated lots at their posted  fees  or YOU WON'T PARK AT ALL.  Hospitals located within a more convenient and friendly environment as we have now give the visitor some options. There will be no options for those planning to visit this proposed site on 42. Terrible. The gang that 's behind the 42 location has spent more on billboard signs and newspaper ads than they have on consulting the public... check books...And we're paying for this ! " About CAMPP Citizens for an Accountable Mega-Hospital Planning Process (CAMPP) is a grassroots citizens group that formed in 2014 to ensure: all voices are heard and counted in the planning of Windsor-Essex’s new hospital decision-making be financially, socially and environmentally responsible sound urban planning principles are followed. “...all our human economic achievements have been done by ordinary people... Yet without understanding this, people are all too willing to fall for the idea that they can’t do this, they themselves, or anybody they know, because they’re too ordinary.” -- JANE JACOBS For those who have used degrading, disparaging or vilifying language in speaking about Citizens for an Accountable Mega-hospital Planning Process, please remember:   We are your neighours, your family, your coworkers: We are all members of the Windsor-Essex community. Everybody deserves accessible and adequate healthcare services. This is CAMPP's mission.